China Girl

Street Lite/Vestron. Director Abel Ferrara; Producer Michael Nozik; Screenplay Nicholas St. John; Camera Bojan Bazelli; Editor Anthony Redman; Music Joe Delia;; Art Director Dan Leigh

James Russo
Sari Chang
Richard Panebianco
David Caruso
Russell Wong
Joey Chin

China Girl is a masterfully directed, uncompromising drama and romance centering on gang rumbles (imaginary) between the neighboring Chinatown and Little Italy communities in New York City.

Screenplay hypothesizes an outbreak of a gang war when a Chinese restaurant opens in Italian territory. In the midst of the battling, a beautiful Chinese teenager (Sari Chang) falls in love with a pizza parlor gofer (Richard Panebianco). A la West Side Story, the adults oppose the relationship and, more to the point, the Mafia dons and Chinese elder gansters are in cahoots to maintain peace in their bordered territory.

Russell Wong (as handsome as a shirt ad model) and sidekick Joey Chin dominate their scenes as the young Chinese gang leaders. Title roler Sari Chang is called upon merely to be an idealized porcelain beauty and she fills the bill.

(Color) Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1987. Running time: 88 MIN.

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